The Mind's Landscape
by Kildred
Summary: After a bit of training, Motoko utilizes a new skill upon Keitaro. What she encounters is something she never anticipated...or wanted.
1. Actions and Consequences

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or anything associated with it.

'...' will be thoughts.

"..." will be spoken word.

--

On a train fast approaching the city, a young girl stood, eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to all around her. This caught the attention of one middle-aged man, whom nonchalantely made his way over to her. He grinned at his luck. After not having fair game for weeks, he would enjoy this..."snack". His hand wandered away, slowly approaching the girl...until another hand fiercely grabbed his wrist. Following the hand's owner, his eyes met with the girl's, who glowered with righteous fury.

It wasn't often that Motoko would go on training trips with her family, but when she did, she came out of them immeasurably stronger. Whether being around her family made her strive to be better, or just having them nearby to reassure her, she would always increase her fighting ability many times over. However, this recent trip was based upon techniques and skills. Motoko was strong, sure, but she knew approxiamtly ten moves, seven of them based on sword combat. Her family had decided that much of her training would be spent on increasing her repetoire.

She learned a number of techniques, but the one she trained the most in was the art of inner sight. She saw the number of opportunities she could utilize this technique, and studied it for most of the trip. According to the family scroll, one's true inner self is almost unhindered by the mind. Inside one's head, oneself's image is untainted by lies and rumors. You can see one for who they truly are, as well as their intentions for immediate matters.

It is not without fault, however, as Motoko just now learned. She was so disgusted with this man's...image, that she very nearly started to throw up on the train. Having already caught the attention of several passerbys, it was already evident that the man would pay for his transgression. Her mind was elsewhere, though. She had plans for this skill, and tonight would be the perfect time.

--

As Keitaro cleaned the hallway, he couldn't shake this feeling that..._something_ was going to happen. Some kind of weird premonition? He shook off the thought and continued. He wanted to finish before dinner so he could get some studying in before 10:00. Turning a corner, he sped off with the rag. 'I should really invest in a mop...'

--

As Motoko opened the door, she was almost immediately greeted by a flying Molmolian. With a new living necklace swinging on her, she made her way to her room, talking idly with Koalla. It was quite a surprise when Keitaro turned the corner and slammed into the two.

_CRASH!_

Koalla went flying a few feet back, and Motoko fell over, landing on Keitaro. Koalla rolled a bit, returning over to the two rather quickly. "Ha ha ha! That was great, Keitaro! Do it again!" Motoko was not as pleased. "Urashima! Will your perverted actions never cease!?" Crawling backwards, Keitaro let forth now very familiar apologies and phrases before sailing off into the wild blue yonder. "Aww, Motoko! I wanted to have some more fun!" Motoko sheathed her sword and faced Koalla. "You do not need to participate in any 'fun' with that lecher." Koalla pouted and went off to her room.

Continung to her room, Motoko quietly entered and placed her belongings in her closet. She then proceeded to light some incense and do some meditation techniques to sharpen her spatial awareness. It was particulary useful for her new skill, and she wanted to be on top of her game tonight. She would NOT be caught off-guard inside that pervert's mind!

--

As Mitsune lounged in her room, she contemplated which vintage to drink tonight. She had quite a collection and choosing was always a challenge. They were all good!

Scanning her cabinent, she eyed one particular bottle. 'Oh yeah. Kei got this for me a while ago. Heh, he can be pretty sweet.' Taking the bottle in her hands, she studied the label. It was a pretty rare bottle, nearly two hundred years old. 'I still don't know how he got this. I'm going to have to ask him about that later. Hehe.'

Suddenly, the air cooled down a bit, and the room was filled with the sound of shattering glass. Looking confused, Mitsune looked at her collection. 'Everything looks fine...so what...' Looking down at her hands, she saw the two-hundred-year-old bottle...sporting a single crack. Running from the tip to the very bottom.

'Well...that's...ominous...'

--

Shinobu placed the pan on the burner and and went off to tell everyone to come down for dinner. Barring any extreme delays, the dish wouldn't have enough time to burn. Naru and Mitsune both voiced their intentions and headed downstairs. Koalla had overheard her - from an entire floor away - and proceeded to vault down the stairs to the dinner table. Motoko took a bit longer, but had also started off to the dining room. Keitaro...

...was nowhere to be found. Until he opened the front door, anyways. Spying everyone near the kitchen, he made his way over and grabbed a seat. As Shinobu grabbed the pan and finished prepping the dinner, Keitaro couldn't help but notice that Motoko was glaring at him pretty intently. Shifting nervously in his seat, he quietly said his thanks and served himself. All throughout dinner, he was kept under a careful eye. This did not go unnoticed.

"What's wrong Motoko? Did Keitaro do something again?" Naru, as per usual, did not sound pleased. Motoko faltered for a bit, having been imagining just what she would encounter within the manager's mind. "No. I just...require his help later. Is that okay, Urashima?" Having seemingly been absolved of whatever he had been mentally accused of, Keitaro simply smiled. "Yeah, of course!" Mitsune didn't miss a beat. "I wonder what kind of help you require that only our dear manager can help you with, hmm?"

"Mitsune!"

"Kitsune!"

"W-what?!"

A flurry of blushes and outbursts accompanied the remainder of the dinner.

--

Motoko set aside some cushions in preparation. She didn't know how long the sight would take, and she would not enjoy having sore legs because she was complacent. As she finished, a timid knock came from her door. "Enter, Urashima." As Keitaro slid the door open slowly, he stuck his head in a bit. "So, what'd you need, Motoko? Something broken?" "Please have a seat, Urashima."

He raised his eyebrows in confusion. Having to sit in Motoko's room could end up in something bad. Several ways to it, too. 'But she did ask...' Walking over to the cushion, he sat crossed-legged and awaited instructions.

Motoko sat across from him and began her plan. Entry was most easily obtained when you had direct eye-contact with your target. "Urashima?" Keitaro looked her dead in the eyes. "Yes?" Sensing her chance, she sent her conciousness straight in front of her and successfully entered Keitaro's mind.

If the pervert's mind on the train almost made her throw up, then Keitaro's mind would make her have numerous illnesses simultaneously and quite embarrassingly, had she not been prepared. All of the mind's she had encountered had been different, though her family had similar aspects between them. For one, all of their walls had the family's clan's symbol adorning them. That man on the train had his...'exploits' instead. But Keitaro...

She wasn't even sure if she could call them walls. They were red and pulsating, almost as if they were...alive. What seemed to be veins jutted out, different ones in other colors. 'They look...organic in nature.' Taking a second to compose herself, she closed her eyes and scanned the area with her awareness. Keitaro's subtle ki was everywhere, though it didn't really try to occupy anything, dispite this being his own mind. 'How odd.'

She began to search his mind, hoping to determine something from the underlying areas of his brain. Locating several prime areas, she was astonished to learn that he was barely even registering the slightest of brain activity. He wasn't even acting on instinct! He was almost as if he was just running on autopilot, doing what needed to be done. What could possibly drive a man to this?

Just then, she sensed a larger area of ki. Seeing this as where Keitaro's conciousness would be, she made her way over to it, her feet squelching on the squishy floor. When she arrived, she was taken aback. There was Keitaro, but he was...different. He was slouched on the ground, slightly hanging from several chains. His hair hung from his head in a disheveled mess, all the way down to his hips. He barely had any clothes, save for the tattered shorts. His skin was scarred, and he was scarcely breathing.

As she approached the sight, she looked at the chains which imprisoned him. Half-expecting them to be seals to his true nature, she was surprised to find labels attached to each one. Every one hung from a link in the chain, and had one or two words upon them. 'Promised Girl...Naru...The Girls...what is this?' Motoko didn't know what to make of this confusing spectacle.

The chains around Keitaro slackened a bit, allowing for a bit of rest for the hanging man. As he tried to stand, however, they tightened once more, regaining their painful grip on his person. Falling to his knees once more, he looked up, revealing dark circles under his eyes as he noticed the foreign presence. Motoko locked eyes with him, unsure how to react. "K...Urashima...what has happened to you?" Keitaro looked her over a few times before speaking. "Who are you?"

"What? It's me, Motoko!" Keitaro looked her over again. "No, you're not Motoko." Motoko looked at him aghast. "What? How can you say such a thing?!" Keitaro looked down again. "Motoko doesn't care about me. Who are you?" Looking at him incredulously, she defended herself. "I care about you!" She faltered for a second before adding "...a-as much as a tenet should care for their landlord!" Keitaro chuckled. "Heh, alright. If you care so much, could you help me get these chains off? They do hurt."

Unsheathing her sword, she looked at the chains, Keitaro in tow, with disdain. She took a quick swipe, shattering the chains into pieces. Keitaro stood, strecthing a bit before walking over to the wall. "Ah, thank you very much. Now maybe I can get my work done." Before she could respond, he placed his hand on the grotesque wall and absorbed himself into it.

The second Keitaro disappeared, Motoko felt a familiar floating sensation. 'How can this be?! I haven't...' She wasn't able to finish the thought as her conciousness was flung out of Keitaro's mind and back into her rightful body. Taking a moment to compose herself, she looked at Keitaro, who was still looking at her. 'I must not have taken very long...' At that moment, Keitaro stood. "I'm sorry Motoko, but I still have a lot to get finished. We'll have to do this another time."

Leaving a baffled Motoko in his wake, Keitaro left and went to his room. Sitting down in a chair, he wrung his hands through his hair and tried to calm the maelstrom that assaulted his head. 'What's with this pain? It hurts even more than when Naru hits me...' Trying to stand so he could grab some aspirin, he wobbled a bit, as the room suddenly started to swirl around him. That, as well as the sudden taste of iron in his mouth brought him to his knees rather quickly.

--

Shinobu scooped an extra portion of rice onto the plate. She was a bit worried that Keitaro didn't get enough to eat at dinner. Through the entire debacle, everyone besides Keitaro had eaten plenty. He had left the plate almost entirely full, which was odd. He usually finished off her meals with gusto, so something must be wrong. Carefully holding the plate, she walked upstairs.

Standing outside his door, she calmed herself a bit before knocking timidly. "S-sempai? I have some food for you..." Not hearing a response, she tried again, knocking a little harder. "Sempai?" Still not garnering a response, she decided to enter. "I-I'm coming in..."

The sound of a shattering plate echoed throughout the inn.

--

--

Well, I finished this up, but at the last second I changed what I wanted to do with it. Now I have no clue what I should write. Can I get some help, or some ideas? Help me out please!


	2. Keitaro's Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or anything associated with it.

'...' will be thoughts.

"..." will be spoken word.

--

Keitaro could scarcely keep track of what was around him. All he knew was that his head hurt. A lot. He also tasted blood, which probably wasn't good either. Struggling to keep upright, he became vaguely aware that some hands were helping him stay up. The throbbing that pounded at his skull made it impossible for him to hear anything, and his eyes couldn't handle any light.

As he felt himself being pulled backwards, he felt a strange sensation throughout his body. Feeling the ground encompass him, he lost consciousness.

--

Shinobu gasped as Keitaro fell backwards with a loud crash. Luckily, Motoko appeared, investigating the noises she had heard earlier. "Please help me, Motoko!"

Normally, Motoko would've questioned the scenario that brought Shinobu and Keitaro together, and most assuredly would've punished the ronin for his transgressions. However, given the state he was in, she was much more content to rush in and help him. As she dragged him towards his futon, she gave him a once-over.

His shirt was drenched in his blood, and was slowly draining onto the floor into a viscous pool, his mouth a veritable escape route from the arteries. His face and arms were covered in dark bruises, while his eyes gained dark bags beneath them. The skin around his face was exceptionally pale, giving him the look of a heroin addict. What on Earth caused this to happen?

Mitsune found her way to the room, eying the situation. "Hey, what's all the rack- holy crap!" Taken aback for a second, the normally inebriated fox quickly went off for some first-aid. After her quick departure, Su waltzed in, situating a position near Motoko. "What happened to Keitaro?" Motoko shushed her, her guilt quickly making itself known. 'What have I done?'

One floor above, a studious Naru had had enough of the increasing noise level from below her. Dragging the panel off the floor, she stuck her head down and began yelling. "Hey, can't you keep it down? I'm trying to...to...what the?" Finally taking in the situation at hand, she looked at Keitaro awkwardly, hanging from the square hole. "What's going on?" Shinobu looked up from Keitaro's side, on the verge of tears. "I don't know! I opened his door and he was like this!" Naru dropped down and sidestepped Mitsune, who had just returned. "I'll call for an ambulance!"

--

Haruka blinked as an ambulance parked in front of the teahouse, and two men with a stretcher started running up the stairs. Curiosity sparked, she followed them up to the Inn. She was surprised to see the two men reemerge with Keitaro. Moreover, she was more shocked to see the state Keitaro was in. She couldn't remember the last time he bled from somewhere other than his nose. Seeing Naru run out of the front door, she approached her. "What the hell happened to him?!" Naru nearly fell from surprise. "W-we don't know! Shinobu just found him like that in his room!" Snarling a bit, Haruka rushed over to the paramedics, who were now loading Keitaro into the back of thier vehicle. "Hold on! I'm coming with! I'm his...his aunt!" Giving a look to his senior and receiving a nod, one of the men held out his hand and pulled Haruka into the ambulance before it drove off.

The drive was excruciatingly long, and plenty of wires and tubes were attached to Keitaro's body. To make things worse, the paramedics weren't able to answer her questions until they had appropriate data. 'All of this junk and nothing can tell me what's wrong?!' As Keitaro was introduced to several needles and liquids, the ambulance finally turned into the hospital's emergency entrance.

--

Back at the inn, Motoko had just finished a conversation over the phone. Her sister was a source of fear for her, no doubt, but the fear of having potentially killed someone overshadowed that. A little.

Everyone else had gathered in the living room, discussing what they had seen. Shinobu was quite bothered and was sitting by herself on the couch, whilst the others opted to stand. "I don't think I've ever seen so much blood! What happened?" Naru paced back and forth. "No one knows what happened. First one to find him was Shinobu, and she says he was already bleeding out by that time." Mitsune leaned against a wall, sobered up from the event.

Motoko walked into the room, gaining the attention of everyone else. Seeing the question on their lips, she answered before anyone could ask. "I just got off the phone with my elder sister. I believe that she will be able to help Urashima, given the greivous nature of his wounds. She is well versed in our family's medicinal arts." Shinobu looked up, visually worried. "S-shouldn't we let the doctors handle it? We shouldn't do anything that could worsen his condition, right?" Motoko looked over, a serene look on her face. "My sister will not do anything that could endanger Urashima's well-being, unless he does something to deserve it." Naru laughed out once, showing her distrust for Keitaro. "Well, perverted intentions aside, he probably won't do anything. He might not even be able to move. When will your sister arrive?"

Motoko replied while heading towards the stairs. "She must take care of a few matters, first. She will leave tomorrow morning, and arrive about noon." She stopped before disappearing past the corner. "I must prepare her room in Urashima's absence. Please inform me if anything happens." With that, she left. Mitsune looked towards the others. "Did Motoko seem a little...hurried to you?"

--

Keitaro was feeling very sick. Vertigo can do that to you. He wasn't sure where he was, but he didn't like it. There was no light, and he couldn't even tell if was standing on anything. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a blinding flash shone from above. Shielding his eyes with his arms, Keitaro took a few steps back unconsciously. After his eyes adjusted a bit, he took a look around and was shocked to see...himself.

His doppelganger walked towards him, with a confident stride. Stopping in front of Keitaro, he cocked his head to the side. "Well?" Keitaro stood, mouth agape for a few seconds before responding. "Well...what?" The other Keitaro cocked an eyebrow. "When are you going to wake up?" Repeating the question, Keitaro looked around. "So, I'm asleep? This is a dream?" Other Keitaro shrugged. "More or less. Well, I'm here to help you now, so it doesn't matter much. So..." He held his middle finger against his thumb and held his fist in front of Keitaro's face. "...wake up."

_WHACK_

Shooting out of his hospital bed, Keitaro scared the hell out of the nurse currently wheeling his bed. After a few questions regarding his health, she rushed off to find the nearest doctor. It turned out that he was unconscious for the better part of three days, and had woken up just before he was going to be put into some kind of invasive surgery to find out what was wrong with him. After he woke, however, every single symptom that the doctors had discovered disappeared, leaving everyone baffled. After some more tests, Keitaro had had enough and requested leave.

"Won't you please reconsider Mr. Urashima? We still don't know what was wrong with you, and we're certain that with just a few more tests-" Keitaro interrupted the doctor with a wave of his hand. "No, no more tests. I'm tired, and I want to go home. Everything's fine now, so I'll just leave, alright?" Defeated, the doctor sighed and wrote out a prescription. "Alright. At least take this before you go. If anything happens, please call us. I'll go inform your family." Taking the prescription, he thanked the doctor and headed towards the bathroom to change his cloths and leave.

"Man, just what I need. Another hospital bill. It's not enough that I have to pay for all the structural repairs, is it?" Taking his freshly washed clothes, he slowly put each one on. Despite his now healthy appearance, he was experiencing some of the worst soreness he had ever had the displeasure of feeling. Finally finishing, he took a moment to go over what had happened. 'All I can remember is coming back to my room, then getting really dizzy. When did I even get here? And what was with that dream?' Pushing that train of thought to the back of his head, he set out to return home.

After grabbing the prescription, he arrived in the lobby where he was greeted by Haruka, who briefly let a small smile pass by her lips before returning to her stoic demeanor. "Hey there, Keitaro. Everything good now?" Keitaro sighed, rubbing his shoulders. "Yeah. I'm fine. Nothing too serious. It looked worse than it was." Walking outside, Haruka lit up a cigarette. "That's good. Everyone was worried about you." Keitaro looked around, a bit bewildered. "Uh, do we have a ride?" Haruka sighed, crossing her arms. "Yeah. He'll be here soon. He had to do some errands, but he said it wouldn't be long." "Who's coming?"

Keitaro didn't have to wait long to get an answer. From down the street, a loud screeching noise pierced the area, and a beat-up white van flew through the air, heading towards the two. Keitaro screamed out and dove for cover, while Haruka calmly stood in place. The van crashed and rolled across the ground several times before sliding to a stop in front of the hospital. The door slowly opened, revealing a haggard archeaologist, head bleeding. "Hey part-timer! Heard you were a bit worse for the wear! Looking fine now, though!" Keitaro looked at Haruka in bewilderment. "You didn't run?" Haruka looked down at him, a bit amused. "You get used to it." "How?!"

Climbing in, he was surprised to see Sarah not about to bash him with something. "Hey Sarah. You okay?" She looked him over, and scowled. "Papa said I had to take it easy with you, but you look fine to me!" Looking over his shoulder as he started to drive, Seta lightly scolded her. "Now, now Sarah. He may look fine, but he could be in a lot of pain right no- whoa!" Veering off to the right, he narrowly missed two cars obeying the posted speed limit.

While fumbling with his seat belt, Keitaro wondered if it wouldn't have been safer to walk.

--

Arriving at the inn, Keitaro was blindsided by a staggering amount of questions. After calming them down enough to listen, he gave an answer. "Alright. The doctors couldn't rightly find whatever was wrong with me, or so they say. They suggested that I take it easy for a while. No heavy labor, stuff like that." He set his prescription on the table. "Take some pills, come back for a check-up. The usual stuff they give you." Unaware of the state he was in prior, he was unprepared for the outburst that followed. "That's it?! That's all they're doing? What the hell!" Mitsune yelled out, back by Naru. "They should at least..." Haruka entered, followed by Seta and Sarah. "Keep it down. I know we're up on this hill, but people can still hear you two." Keitaro held out his hands in a calming manner. "I'm sure that they did all they could. We just-wha?!" Stumbling over his feet, he immediately grabbed something for support. What he grabbed gained him instant ire from Naru. Seeing her imminent beatdown approaching, he back off a few steps, letting some apologies go. "You filthy pervert!" She reared back and thrust forward her now-famous punch.

What happened next almost appeared in slow motion to all who witnessed it.

Keitaro almost instantly stood straight up, facing the attack. Leaning slightly to the left, he pulled back his right hand and balled it into a fist, twisting his body as he did so. As Naru's fist missed his face, he brought up his shoulder slightly. Throwing her arm upward, he then turned his body to the left, throwing his own punch dead into her face, crossing their arms. Naru's head slammed into the floor, followed by the rest of her body. She cried out in pain and held her nose, which started bleeding.

Keitaro didn't look down as he walked away. Watching him leave, questions filled the heads of those who saw what happened.

"Did the dork just counter-punch Naru?"

"What the hell was that about?"

"I don't think I've seen the part-timer that mad..."

"What happened to Sempai's eyes?"

--

Four months. Rather, one hundred and nine days. That averages to about twenty words a day. That, my friends, is slow.

Sorry 'bout the wait, but I am, unfortunately, a chronically forgetful fellow. Also, couldn't think of what to write.

Thanks to the people who help me get some ideas here. You know who you are.


	3. Meetings and Realizations

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or anything associated with it.

'...' will be thoughts.

"..." will be spoken word.

* * *

Keitaro held his arm over his eyes, trying to mask the blinding light that surrounded him. He remembered this place, if only vaguely. Someone was here before, but he just couldn't recall who it was. More to the point, he couldn't recall _where_ this was, or how he got here. Familiar feelings aside, he worried about getting back. Last thing he remembered, he was falling. Falling, and then...

Naru. She was going to hit him again. Is that was this was? Maybe he was in a coma? 'It's not like I've ever been in a coma before, so how could I tell?' Keitaro mulled over this for a bit, before falling backwards due to fright. "No, not a coma. Unconscious, yes, but not a coma." The doppleganger looked down at Keitaro. "What?" A few moments of silence ensued. "Wh...who are you?" Raising an eyebrow, the standing Keitaro responded. "Keitaro Urashima. Just like you." Grounded Keitaro just blinked a few times before standing. "Just like me? What do you mean?"

"I'm you. Well, another part of you, anyway. Actually, if you want to get technical..." Seeing Keitaro's puzzled look, Other Keitaro stopped himself short. "Okay, okay. We'll skip the specific stuff. To put it simply...what was it called?" He paced a few times, before remembering the phrase. "Oh yeah! Dissociative identity disorder. Well, I disagree with the disorder part, but you get what I mean." He was greeted by a blank stare. "What? I thought you were studying. Don't tell me you don't get this." A simple shake of the head was his reply. "Geez. Well, we'll work on that. Anyway, simple term for dissociative identity disorder? Split personality."

* * *

As Motoko finished cleaning the room for her sister once more, she overheard the commotion from downstairs. Thinking Keitaro had returned, she left to greet him and diagnose his injuries herself. Hopefully, she would discover that she had nothing to do with his injuries. Not that she was happy with just that fact. Thinking back, it seemed unusual for the man to recover from each and every attack she dished out without so much as a scratch. Her family's techniques were renowned for slaying demons and the like, yet Keitaro never even bled after being struck repeatedly. This, of course, led to her using them much more often than would be accepted for someone not under demonic control.

She shuddered, thinking of what her sister would say and do once she learned of this. She would not back down, however. Whatever Tsuruko deemed appropriate as her punishment, she would accept. Her disregard had gone on long enough. Walking outside the room, she wondered just what was taking her sister so long in arriving. She should have been here two days ago.

Back in the living room, Naru was being tended to by Shinobu. Haruka had gone upstairs to see if she could get anything out of her nephew, and Seta had already left with Sarah, despite her complaints. "He's never tried to hit me before..." Shinobu softly bandaged Naru's nose. "Um, I'm sure Haruka can figure out why he did that. He doesn't...he wouldn't hit anyone of us, normally." Naru looked up. 'Normally? Maybe...'

* * *

In the depths of Keitaro's mind, he had been receiving a long and almost unbelievable lecture on the status of his mind. He couldn't deny the facts though. When he was given a small tour, the entire place was...well, fleshy. They both managed to do some redecorating. Mostly his doppleganger, but he gave some opinions. Now, it looked more like a room in the inn. Since then, he was being taught some things to help improve his physical state. First thing, get rid of his clumsiness.

"You got that? It's all about balance." Keitaro looked over. "Hey, uh...Me. Why are you doing this?" His other self scoffed. "Okay, drop the 'me' thing. Think up a name or something. It's getting annoying." Keitaro sat for a moment. 'Okay, well he's me, but different. So...' "How about Keishima?" Newly dubbed Keishima blinked. "Where'd you come up with that?" Writing out his full name, Keitaro split off several letters and combined the remainder. "Oh. Well, I guess it's okay."

Walking around a bit, he sighed before answering the question. "We inhabit the same body. Not by choice, but by...I don't know. Fate, I guess? Still, you get knocked out almost everyday for being a clumsy oaf." He put his fist into the wall. "I live here too, damn it! I'll be damned if some bi..." He stopped, knowing of Keitaro's affection for the women who mercilessly cause him pain. "...women break our body simply because you can't help but fall. How do you manage to fall into the worst situations, anyway? It'd be one thing to just fall and maybe clock yourself on the chin." Keitaro shrugged.

"I don't know. Unlucky, I guess." Keishima perked up suddenly. "Alright. Practice those things I taught you for a while. I'm taking the body out for some exercise. Lord knows we need it." Leaving Keitaro to practice his balancing act, Keishima took control over the body and entered consciousness.

Awakening on the bed, he stood up and immediately took notice of the pain in his hand. "Aaaarrrghhh!" Holding his arm, he quickly ran up to his door, slid it open with his foot, and rushed out to the bathroom. Haruka, who was almost run over in the process, followed him. She caught up, finding him running his hand under cold water.

"Hey, Keitaro. Mind telling me what that was all about down there?"

"Yes, I do mind. Ow!"

Haruka blinked. Keitaro would normally sigh and explain himself to her, not dodge the question. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave it at that."

"Why not?" Keishima was finding it increasingly hard to focus on his hand, despite the pain.

"You know why."

He scoffed, in spite of himself. "Please. I get handed a fist, or a sword, twenty times a day, and none of you bat an eye. If I stand up for myself, I'm given the hangman's noose. I sick of this. All of it." He knew it was useless to try and keep up a facade in front of Haruka. "Look, I'll tell you more after I tend to my hand, okay? Just...let me handle this first."

Satisfied that she would at least be given an answer, she started to leave. "I'll be in at the teahouse. Don't forget." Keishima waved her off.

Looking down at his swelling hand, he cursed himself for his action. Punching out Naru, while immensely satisfying, didn't help matters. He would have a hard time explaining that one off. 'Especially since you're so...passive. Dammit, Keitaro! Your personality really pisses me off!' He sighed, wrapping a cool, damp towel around his hand. 'But I guess that's why everyone loves you.'

After a few minutes, he coated his hand in a cool salve, and wrapped it in bandages. Giving thanks that Keitaro was at least smart enough to keep a first-aid kit handy, he walked back to his room and opened the window. The sun hung low in the sky, giving the area a golden hue. 'I'll be damned if I deal with those girls just yet. Might as well talk to Haruka first. Maybe she can help out.' Before he could try and jump out, however, he was tackled to the ground.

"Heyas, Keitaro! You're finally back!" Keishima groaned. He did not like where this was going. "Let's play! I made a brand-new Tama just for you!" That was exactly what he feared. "I'm sorry Koalla, but..." He racked his mind, quickly thinking of an excuse. "...I already promised the rest of the day to Haruka. She needs my help restocking the teahouse. It's going to take up my time until about eleven, and by then I'll be too tired."

Koalla had started pouting almost immediately after he started speaking. "Aw, that's not fair! You didn't even tell us you were leaving three days ago. I had some great games for us!" Keishima held in his growl. "I didn't know I was leaving either. Look, I'll have to make it up to you another time, okay? I'm really sorry." Koalla jumped off him, landing an expert backflip. "Okay. It's a promise, then!" She ran out, presumably to pester another member of the inn. "...Ugh. Yeah, I'm sorry. Sorry Keitaro didn't put you in an institution by now! Freaky little midget."

Climbing out his window, he carefully leapt to the nearby tree and scurried down to see Haruka.

He didn't notice the shadow that left his door.

* * *

Down at the teahouse, the setting sun let forth an array of colors, it's final action before leaving the sky. A sign on the front door flipped, indicating that the small establishment was closing down for the day.

As Kentaro finished cleaning the tables, Haruka allowed him to go home for the day. He was near worthless as a worker, but she'd be damned if she didn't teach him a lesson. He washed up and prepared to leave. Not a few seconds after leaving, he bumped into Keishima. "Hmm? Oh, Keitaro. What happened to you?" Referring to Keishima's appearance, which was marred from twigs and dirt, he started snickering. "Let me guess. Naru hit you again? I don't know why you even try. If I wasn't able to court her, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell."

Keishima stared at the man before him. 'Who the hell is this guy?' He couldn't recall just yet, but he was still pissing him off. Who the hell was he to talk down to him like that? Immediately thinking of a plan, he held off on his anger. "Hey, before you get all indignant on me, I have a gift for you. Goodwill and all that." The greedy Sakata couldn't resist. "Well, far be it from me to refuse an act of kindness! What is it?" Keishima smiled. "It's right...huh? What the?" Patting himself down, he cursed and looked around. "Damn, I think I dropped it."

Kentaro sighed. "Clumsy as ever I see." Ignoring the remark, Keishima looked under the porch. "Ah-ha! There it is! Aw man, I can't reach it." Standing, he turned to Kentaro. "Hey, you've got longer arms than I do. Can you reach it?" Kentaro was visibly irate as he crouched down. "Must I do everything for you? Where is it? I don't see anything."

"Down there. It's pretty dark in color, so you probably won't see it. You are gonna have to crawl a bit. I don't think you'll fit under, so reach out as far as you can." Kentaro struggled to reach whatever Keitaro had gotten him. "I can't feel anything..." Keishima smiled. "Keep trying. It was over to the right." Kentaro continued his search for a few minutes, before Keishima spoke once more. "Oh wait. Here it is. Well, here you go, buddy." Kentaro looked up.

The last thing he saw was a foot rushing towards his face.

Haruka poured herself a drink from a bottle of scotch. She carefully put the bottle back in it's hiding place before someone else could see. It was her favorite brand, and also most expensive. Wouldn't do to have someone be able to steal a drink every now and then. Bringing the glass to her lips, she almost savored the liquid before Keishima shoved open the door, dragging an unconscious Kentaro.

"What happened to him?" She didn't care much about the guy, but free labor was free labor. Keishima shrugged, putting the jerk on a chair. "I think he's sleeping. Judging from the blood on his nose, must be a good one too." Keishima took a seat, leaning on his good arm. "Sleeping outside...guess he likes the stars?" Haruka scoffed. "Kentaro? He'd be more at home in a damn mansion, and you know it." Keishima took notice of the name.

'Kentaro...Kentaro...oh. Him. Rich, smug bastard. Well, now I feel even better. Heh.' Looking around him, he took in the teahouse. It was dimly lit, but he had no trouble seeing everything. Tables and chairs dotted the building, while the bar itself lie in the back, taking up half the wall. A few pictures lined the interior, most of them showing the Urashima family members. He wondered about how it hadn't changed much. Seeing Haruka made him remember some things. Only bits and pieces. The unchanging building, however, made everything just a little bit clearer.

"Hey, Keitaro." Blinking out of his stupor, he glanced towards Haruka. "You alright?" Sighing, he leaned back and rubbed his temples. A headache was the least of his worries, but he needed to finish this. No matter how much he disliked her. "No. I'm not fine. There's a good reason too." He placed his hands down on the table. "I'm not Keitaro." Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Not Keitaro?" Keishima thought for a second. "Well, not anymore. Keitaro's in here." He pointed to his head. "I got him doing some stuff...well, that's not important. What is, is that you know what's going on."

Haruka held up a hand. "Wait a second, what do you mean not anymore? What are you talking about? This better not be some sort of prank. I worried enough when you were in the hospital." Keishima sighed. "If we're not careful, that's exactly where we'll end up again. Our biggest problem right now?" He held up his bandaged hand.

"I can't heal myself anymore."

--

It bugs me that I can't really come up with the 'meat' of the story very well. It took me forever to do just this. Also, I suck at empathy. I have no clue how to write how people will react or say when compared to their canon counterparts. Well, except for Keishima, since he's basically an OC.

I'll keep on trying, though. I want to be able to finish this story, even though I still don't know exactly where I'm going to take it. A few vague ideas haunt my head, but nothing concrete. Oh well.


End file.
